Guardians
by Shadow of Angles
Summary: A story I made up that includes all of my friends' old roleplay characters and mine, Shadow Derashi. This basically is about Shadow and her friends and the battles they face in order to protect the ones they love.
1. Character Profiles

Life 1: Character Profiles

Name: Derashi, Shadow  
Title: Guardian of Hell  
Gender: Female  
Race: Demon  
Age: Fourteen  
Height: 5' 6  
Blood Type: O  
Hobbies: Training, writing, taking walks,  
working on the computer  
Fears: Hurting the ones she cares about

Name: Cain  
Title: Prince of Hell  
Gender: Bi Male  
Race: Demon  
Age: Unknown ( appears eighteen )  
Height: 6' 0  
Blood Type: A  
Hobbies: Being a pervert, running his bar  
( Dark Light ), fighting, protecting his lil sisters  
Fears: Pissing off Ryven and Kaiya

Name: Roth, Ryven  
Title: Fallen Angel  
Gender: Female  
Race: Angel  
Age: Thirteen  
Height: 5' 4  
Blood Type: AB  
Hobbies: Talking online,  
watching TV, inflicting severe harm to Cain  
Fears: Being alone, spiders

Name: Vaporal, Dante  
Title: Necromancer  
Gender: Male  
Race: Homunculus  
Age: Unknown ( appears fifteen )  
Height: 5' 7  
Blood Type: O  
Hobbies: Helping out at Cain's bar, being  
a pervert, studying Alchemy and  
Necromancy, testing his immortality  
Fears: Unknown

Name: Alu, Ashige  
Title:Wolf Demon  
Gender: Female  
Race: Demon  
Age: Fourteen  
Height: 5' 5  
Blood Type: B  
Hobbies: Going on missions, drawing,  
sleeping, singing, eating  
Fears: The full moon, bats, bugs, retards

Name: Demitrious, Raziel  
Title: Vampire  
Gender: Bi Male  
Race: Undead  
Age: Unknown ( appears seventeen )  
Height: 5' 8  
Blood Type: Unknown  
Hobbies: Helping out at Cain's bar, flirting  
with Cain, hanging out with Raven  
Fears: Being rejected

Name: Misuri, Kaiya  
Title: Student  
Gender: Female  
Race: Human  
Age: Twelve  
Height: 5' 2  
Blood Type: AB  
Hobbies: Talking, talking online, studying,  
sleeping, inflicting severe harm to Cain  
Fears: Death

Name: Zepher  
Title: Wraith  
Gender: Male  
Race: Undead  
Age: Unknown ( appears fifteen )  
Height: 5' 8  
Blood Type: Unknown  
Hobbies: Helping out at Cain's bar, talking to  
spirits, hanging out with Itaki, fighting  
Fears: Losing the ones he loves

Extra Character Profiles

Name: Bane  
Title: Dragon of Hell  
Gender: Gay Male  
Race: Human/Dragon  
Age: 21 ( acts 5 when drunk )  
Height: 5' 6  
Blood Type: Unknown  
Hobbies: Drinking sake with Johnny,  
kittys, hugs, playing guitar,  
getting drunk enough to be knocked out,  
hanging out at bars, sleeping,  
taking showers, eating ramen, making  
fun of Raziel( pretty boy )  
Fears: The dragon, boobs...

Name: Johnny  
Title: Vampire  
Gender: Gay/Bi Male  
Race: Human/Undead  
Age: 20  
Height: 6' 1  
Blood Type: O  
Hobbies: Going to raves, bashing peoples heads  
in, making fun of banes fat ass, sucking blood,  
getting drunk, headbanging, eating crackers  
(anger management), making fun  
making of wiggas, niggas, and crackers, sleeping,  
playing D.D.R  
Fears: Kittys, Heather, hurting Bane

Name: Garcia, Heather  
Title: Grocery Store Lady  
Gender: Female  
Race: Human  
Age: 35  
Height: 5' 7  
Blood Type: A  
Hobbies: Bugging Johnny, being bossy,  
harming Bane, dating  
Fears: Johnny being gay


	2. Past and Present

Life 2: Past and Present

A faint light poured into the small apartment as a figure slowly walked tword a desk. A pale hand with black fingernails picked up a small photo of four people. A young girl with short dirty blond hair was standing in the middle of two older boys. She wore a faded red shit with the word "MUAHA!" printed in black on the front, blue jeans, and white tines shoes with red stripes on the sides. She was smiling.

The boy on the left wore a gray, long-sleave tee-shirt, torn blue jeans, black shoes, and glasses. His black hair was short and he had a clear expression of pure annoyance on his face. The other boy had long silver hair with black bangs. He wore a black, long-sleaved turtle neck shirt, black pants and black shoes. His eyes were closed and he apeared to be walking away. Behind them was another boy who appeared to be walking in the opposite direction. He, too, wore a black turtle neck along with a bucked choker, faded black jeans, and dark navy blue shoes. His short, light black hair covered his eyes. Behind him, it seamed, were a pair of demonic wings. The four of them apeard to be between at least the ages of 9 and 15.

A small smile crossed the figures pale face then faded. She placed the photo back on the desk and closed her eyes. She wore a lose, long-sleave black shirt, black kaprise, and black shoes. Her short silver hair seamed almost a light blue and shined in the dim light.

"It seams...so long ago," she thought. She opened her eyes again and sighed. They were golden and looked like cat eyes. "Three years tomorrow." She heard faint voices in her head and smiled to herself.

"Sister Shadow! Are you up yet!?" called a young female voice. A soft moan came from inside a room. "Sister Shadow!" called the voice again.

"Go away!" came another voice. This one was also that of a young girl and came from inside the room. The room was dark and had very little light. After a few moments, the girl outside said, "I'm coming in!"

The door opened and a bright light poured into the room and the other girl screamed.

"GET OUT!" she shouted.

"Okay, okay! I'm going!" the other replied and walked back out of the room. The door slammed behind her and she looked back at it. The word "MUAHA!" was printed on her red shirt and she wore blue jeans and white tines shoes with red stripes on the sides. Her dirty blond bangs covered her eyes. "Man! If she doesn't get up, we're going to be late!" she said to herself.

"Sister Shadow! Get up!" she called to the other girl.

"Go away, Rei!" she shouted. The girl's expression changed to enraged shock.

"But...the guys are waiting for us!"

"I DON'T CARE! IT'S TOO EARLY!" the girl growled.

"_She is so stubborn!_"the other thought. "It's 2:45! We're supposed to be there at 3!" she said aloud. Inside the room, the young girl slowly opened her golden eyes. Her short silver blue bangs fell over them.

"Hm?" she moaned, dazed and confused. When she realized what the other girl had said, her eyes widend and she shot out of bed. "What!?" A few crashes were heard as the two girls started shouting. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!?" shouted the silver haired girl.

"I TRIED TO! YOU WOULDN'T GET UP!" shouted the other.

"YOU COULD'VE WOKEN ME UP SOONER!!"

"I DID!!"

Across town, the wind blew softly through the trees. A water fountain sprayed small droplets of clear liquid. All was peaceful. Three boys stood around, as if waiting for something miraculous to happen. One stood against a tree, his long sliver hair blew slightly in the breeze. His black bangs hung slightly over his dark eyes. He had on a black turtle neck, black pants and shoes. His arms were folded over his chest. His expression was blank and he sighed.

"They're late..." he said quietly. "They're never late. Something must've happened." His eyes narrowed. Another of the boys, clearly older, looked over at him. His light black hair fell over his eyes as the wind started to blow faster. He also had on a black turtle neck but he wore a buckled choker. He had on faded black jeans and dark blue shoes. He sat on the edge of the near by fountain.

"Don't worry about those two. They probably just over-slept," he said. The other one, who was standing a little ways off, nodded in agreement. He had on a gray, long sleaved tee-shirt, faded blue jeans, black shoes and glasses. His short black hair blew slightly in the wind.

The boy against the tree looked up the street and smiled faintly. The others followed his gaze. Two girls were walking twords them. The one with short dirty blond hair smiled and started to run twords them. The other girl simply gave a wiery smile and slowed her walking.

"Hey guys! Sorry we're late!" cried the dirty blond, waving. The eldest of the three boys stood and waved back.

"Hey Ryven, Shadow! What took ya so long?" he called. Ryven smiled.

"Sister Shadow wouldn't get out of bed! Sorry, Cain!"

Shadow's smile faded and she shook her head. "Do we have to blame this whole thing on me?" she thought. The boy with glasses grinned and waved at Ryven. She smiled and ran up to him.

"Morning!" she said cheerfuly.

"'Morning?' It's 3:15, Rei."

"Yeah I know. But still...it seams like it's morning, Dante," Ryven said, looking him in the eyes. Dante grinned.

Shadow sighed and continued to walk twords her friends. The silver haired boy against the tree walked over to her.

"Hey Shadow. Get enough sleep?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah...but I wish we didn't have to meet at the park," she said, yawning and rubbing her eyes. "Hey Zepher, who's idea was it to meet all the way across town?"

He chuckled lightly. "That would be you."

Shadow looked up at him and smiled slightly. "Oh..."

"Don't feel too bad, Shad," said Zepher, "At least it's nice outside."

Shadow smiled and sighed. "Yeah but I wish it was darker...you know how much I hate too much light."

Zepher laughed. "You aren't turning into a Vampire are you?"

Shadow smiled. "No..."

"Good! Because Vampires suck!"

Cain looked at him and grinned. "Watch what you say about Vampires, Z."

Zepher looked at him and asked, "Oh really? And why should I do that?"

"Who knows? Maybe they'll come hunt you down and kill you for dissing their race."

Zepher chuckled. "Let 'em come! I'm not scared of any Wriath wannabes!"

Ryven smiled. "Who would want to be a Wraith? Wraiths are dumb!"

"Take that back!" shouted Zepher.

"Noooo!" cried Ryven in a high pitched voice, running behind Dante. He looked over his shouder and raised an eyebrow. Shadow laughed to herself and sat on the ledge of the fountain.

"I'm going to miss this, these interesting conversations," she said quietly. Zepher narrowed his eyes and Cain's bangs covered his eyes. Ryven sat next to Shadow and Dante looked at her, his eyes slightly clouded.

"I can't believe you're leaving sister Shadow," said Ryven, sadness in her voice, "You've been here for so long. Why should you have to go?" Shadow looked up at her and sighed.

"You know I'm not your true sister Rei, and I don't really belong here."

"That's not true. This is your home, Shadow," said Dante staring at her. Shadow met his eyes and smiled sadly.

"But it's not...you of all people should know that, Dante." He narrowed his eyes and looked away. Zepher lowered his head.

"You don't have to go you know...You could stay."

"I can't. I have to go. I'm sorry..." She stood and started to walk away. Ryven had small streams of tears falling from her eyes as she started after her. To her surprize, Shadow stopped and turned back to them, a small camera in her hands.

"If it's not too much to ask of you four..." she said, holding back tears, "could I take a picture?" Cain looked at her, as if not understanding.

"Why?"

"So I can remember you all...in case I never come back." Dante, Ryven, and Zepher nodded and got into a little group for a pose. Cain stood but he didn't join.

"Well...I guess this is good-bye," he said to himself. As he turned to leave, a siluet of demonic wings appeared form his back and in the flash of a camera, he was gone. When they had recovered from the flash and noticed he was gone, Ryven mumbled a swear word and Zepher shook his head.

"What a jerk! Leaving at a time like this!" grumbled Ryven.

"You can't blame him," said Shadow, "He is the Prince of Hell after all."

"That's no excuse," replied Dante. Shadow sighed. She looked up at the sky; it was already getting dark. She looked back at the three people who were her friends. She smiled a teary smile and bowed.

"Good-bye...my friends."

Shadow shook her head and looked around the dark room. She closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them again, tears threatend to fall. She quickly blinked them away and looked at the photo.

"It's been three years since I left...heh. I wonder...if they'll recognize me."

Shadow looked out the small window and smiled as the white light hit her pale skin.


	3. Akimora Arrival

Life 3: Akimora Arival

Shadow walked slowly down a dark street. Everything was quiet. Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound. Her golden eyes glowed in the dim light of the street posts. Her shadow crept along behind her, dancing in the darkness. Her silver bangs covered her eyes and she kept her head down. It must have been at least 4 o'clock in the morning. She had no idea where she was going. As long as she was moving, she'd end up somewhere. Shadow stopped suddenly and looked up at the dark sky. Millions of sparkling lights crossed the endless night. She closed her eyes and sighed. Her head was spinning and her mind flooded with memories. Her feet started moving again and soon she heard the faint sound of water. Shadow opened her eyes and saw that up ahead was a park.

A faint smile crossed her lips.

She slowly walked over to the fountain and ran her pale fingers through the cool water. Shivers crept up her spine. She looked up and saw the trees that, once filled with pink and red petals, were now withered and dead. The harsh, cold wind blew through the dead branches and nipped at Shadow's flesh. She held herself as the wind whipped around her. When it died, she looked around and saw that the once still waters of the fountain seamed uneasy. Shadow narrowed her eyes and continued to walk through the park. The shadows of the trees looked like claws reaching out to grab her. Still, she walked on. She could now see her breath and she held onto herself as the night grew colder. Soon her skin started to feel numb and her vision started to blur. Shadow blinked a few times and stopped. She looked around again and sighed.

"_I should probably...start heading back now_," she thought, closing her eyes, "_before I freeze to death_."

The white light poured into the one-room apartment and Shadow blinked slowly. She let out a soft moan and sat up. She gently rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock to the right of her bed; 7:37AM, Friday. Shadow sighed and threw off the covers. She had on a black tank top and skin tight shorts. Her golden eyes were now black as sin and empty. She walked over to the window and opened it, letting the cool breeze of morning into her room. Her silver blue hair blew lightly as she turned away. She grabbed a black long sleaved shit and a pair of black pants. Shadow draped the shirt over head and slipped the on pants in a matter on minutes. She picked up a silver brush off the desk in the corner of the room and brushed through her tangled hair. Her eyes fixed on the photo and she paused. She placed the brush down and stared at the photo for a moment longer before walking away. Shadow slipped on her black shoes and picked up her gray messanger bag. She slowly walked to the front door and opened it. The brightness of the hallway forced her to shield her eyes.

Once they adjusted, she lowered her hand and walked out of the apartment and closed the door. As she locked it, an old woman came walking twords her. She smiled and stopped a few feet away. Her gray hair was in a bun on top of her head and she wore a blue kimono with red flowers printed on it. On her feet were wooden sandals. She was small in stature and her face was wrinkled. Shadow turned to her, a blank expression on her face. After a few moments she smiled and bowed. The old woman did the same.

"Good morning, Shadow. Off to school?" she asked. Shadow nodded.

"Yes, Ms. Mitsuki. It's my first day."

"Really? What school are you going to be attending?"

Shadow closed her eyes for a moment. "I believe it's called...Akimora High." She opened her eyes and saw that the old woman was still smiling. Shadow smiled too.

"Well, you had better be going now Shadow. You'll be late," Mitsuki said quietly. Shadow bowed and continued to walk down the hall.

"Good luck, dear!" called the old woman as Shadow made her way down the stairs.

"Thank you," she called over her shoulder.

Down stairs, Shadow slowly walked through the lobby as a young man around twenty years old walked up to her. He had short black hair and wore a dark blue tee-shirt, black jeans, and shoes. It appeared as if he worked in the apartment building.

"Ah, Shadow. Good morning," he said. Shadow stopped and bowed.

"Good morning, Mr. Amori," she said.

"Going to school I guess?" he asked. Shadow nodded. "Well good luck."

Shadow nodded again as Amori waved and got back to work. She sighed and walked outside. The cool wind wrapped around her as she walked down the sidewalk. Her eyes narrowed as she thought of her friends.

The people who she hadn't seen in three years. She knew that in they were all going to Akimora and that she'd see them around sometime. She just didn't know if they'd want to see her after she left so suddenly. She hadn't heard from them since she left either. Shadow's eyes closed.

"_Not that I really expected to hear from them_..." she thought, "_I left so suddenly...and didn't bother to keep in touch. Oh well_..." She opened her eyes again. "_Maybe they weren't able to find me. Or maybe they didn't even try...just like me_." She stopped and looked at the dark blue sky, covered in whispy white clouds. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she continued to walk twords the school.

After about ten minutes, Shadow found herself infront of a large gate. She looked to the left and saw a bronze plate that had the words "Akimora High School" ingraved in it. She smiled slightly and looked at the small watch on her wrist; 8:22. Shadow sighed.

"If I hurry, I'll make it just in time," she said to herself. She looked up at the large white building infront of her. It was hard to believe that it was really a school at all. She sighed again and slowly walked through the gates and onto the school grounds.


	4. The New Girl part I

Life 4: The New Girl part I

Shadow walked through the deserted hallways in search of her classroom. A single piece a wrinkled paper was all she had to navigate through the school. She had no idea where she was. Her only clue was that her classroom was #692. The only problem was that there was over eight hundred rooms in the whole school. She stopped and looked around the hall. She looked at the nearest door and saw that the number on it said "#671." Shadow sighed.

"_This is going to take forever..._" she thought, "_By the time I find the damn room, it'll be the end of the school day_." She closed her eyes. "_I guess I have no choice...If I want to find the classroom soon, I got to use it_."

Shadow slowly opened her eyes and instead of being black, they turned back to golden demonic eyes. She scanned the halls and saw that maybe half way down the hall was the room #692. She closed her eyes and opened the dark pits again and smiled. She walked slowly twords the room and with each step, her heart began to beat even faster. Her expression didn't show but inside she felt like she was about to explode. Finally she stopped in front of the door. She looked up at the plate that had the number "692" inscribed in it. She sighed and raised her hand to knock on the door. Inside the room, she heard voices. Laughing. Then a stern voice that was followed by silence and a few muffled words.

"_This is it..._" she thought, preparing to knock. Then she did. All was quiet. Then she heard footsteps.

The door swung open and a tall man about thirty years old stood in the door way. His face was slightly wrinkled and he wore a brown suit with black shoes and thin glasses. His hair was dark with a few gray hairs here and there. He looked down at her and smiled kindly.

"You must be the new student. Please, come in."

Shadow nodded and walked into the room. The teacher walked to the center of the front of the room and motioned for her to follow. She lowered her head and walked to twords him. She could sense that the students were watching her. She didn't really care.

One of the students in the class nudged the boy next to him and grinned. He had short dark hair that was spiked in the back. He had on a black tee shirt, black jeans and shoes. Around his neck was a navy blue chocker that looked like an animal collar.

"Hey look at the new girl," he whispered.

"What about her?" asked the other. He had long silver hair and black bangs. He wore a black turtle neck and black pants with black shoes.

"Look, she's actually kinda cute!"

"I don't care. She's probably just like all the other girls at this school; self centered and stuck up."

"Suit yourself, Zepher."

Shadow looked out over the class as the teacher started talking to them about her arrival. She couldn't see anyone she knew or cared to know for that matter.

"Alright everyone, pay attention," ordered the teacher, "We have a new student with us today. She just moved here so please be polite to her." He looked at Shadow and smiled.

"Would you please tell the class about yourself? We would all like to know more about you." Shadow smiled faintly and looked back at the students.

"My name is Derashi, Shadow. Pleasure to meet you all," she said, bowing.

Zepher's head shot up. "_Did she just say, 'Derashi, Shadow!?'_"he thought. His eyes reached the girl at the front of the room and he lost his breath.

"_Shadow..._" He stared in shock and disbelief as his childhood friend stood at the front of the class. The teacher cleared his throat.

"Miss Derashi, could you tell us why you moved here?"

Shadow narrowed her eyes. "I don't care to talk about it, teacher, if you don't mind."

"Oh...well that's okay. Class, would anyone like to ask our new student some questions?" A girl in the third row back raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Rika?" The girl stood. She had long black hair and wore a pink tee shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers.

"How old are you, Shadow?"

Shadow closed her eyes. "I'm fourteen."

As the girl sat down one of the students called out, "Are you goth or emo?" The class broke out in random laughs.

"I guess I'm a little bit of both. I don't really know," answered Shadow.

"What's your favorite color?" A girl's voice.

"I thought that would be obvious..."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" A boy's voice. Zepher held his breath.

"Heh...no, I'm afraid not." Zepher sighed.

"How long have you been here?" Another boy.

"A few days."

"Where are you living at the moment?" A girl.

"I don't remember the name exactly, but I'm currently living in a small apartment."

"Must be poor..." whispered another girl a few seats away from Zepher.

"No," said Shadow. The girl gasped and looked up at her. Shadow looked at her.

"Actually, I just don't have a lot of money at the moment."

The students started to mumble and whisper amongst themselves. Zepher smiled to himself."_I almost forgot her extreamly good hearing..._"

One of the boys in the class stood up. It was the one sitting next to Zepher. The whole class turned to look at him.

"Don't your parents have money? I mean, if you're living in a small apartment, I would guess not but, just how small is it anyway?" The class locked on Shadow. She was standing still and her bangs covered her eyes.

The teacher stood and said, "That's a rude question, Mr. Demitrious. I don't think Miss Derashi would want to--"

"No...it's okay, I'll answer it, "stated Shadow. Her voice sounded cold and emotionless. Zepher looked at her in concern. Something was wrong. Shadow raised her head and looked the boy in the eyes.

"I don't live with my parents," she said simply.

"Well who do you live with? You're uncle? Grandparents?" asked the boy. The room was quiet.

"I...I don't."

"Don't what?"

"Live with them."

"Well who then?"

"No one. I live by myself..." The boy stared at her, confused. "My parents died years ago. The rest of my family don't exist. They all died before I was born."

"Oh...I'm...I'm sorry." Shadow smiled sadly and shook her head.

"Don't be...it was a long time ago." The class was struck with sadness and pity then all was quiet. Shadow looked at the teacher and said, "Can I please sit now? I've been walking around this school for about half an hour."

"Oh. Yes, you can sit next to Miss Misuri," he answered, pointing to the desk next to a girl in the second row back.

Shadow walked over to the desk and the girl stood up.

"Hi, I'm Kaiya. Nice to meet you Shadow." She had short black hair and she wore a white tee shirt and blue jeans. Shadow nodded in greeting and sat down. As she did, the boy known as Raziel sat down at his. He stared at the paper in front of him and sighed.

"Hey, Zepher..." Zepher looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"That girl...she's so...well...you know..."

"No, I don't know, Raz."

"She's so sad. She's all alone with no one to look out for her. And she's lost everything..." Zepher looked at Shadow, who was writing something on a piece of paper, and his expression changed to sadness.

"_Shadow..._" he thought, "_what on earth happened to you? You've changed so much..._"


	5. The New Girl part II

Life 5: The New Girl part II

After the first class was over, Shadow took the crumpled piece of paper out of her messanger bag and gathered her books. Zepher noticed her getting ready to leave and closed his eyes.

"_I can't believe it's really been 3 years since she left,_" he thought, "_I wonder...why didn't she keep in contact with us?_" He opened his eyes again and she was gone. "Hmn? Where'd she go?" he asked himself, looking around.

"Probably to her next class," said a voice from behind. Zepher turned around to see Raziel.

"I told you she was cute!" he said smiling. "You like her don't you, Z!?" Zepher stood and picked up his bookbag.

"Not now Raziel..." he said walking out of the classroom.

"_These humans are so annoying,_" thought Shadow, making her way through the croud of students. The halls were full of people and it was hard to even make out the numbers on the classroom doors. She looked around for room #720 but couldn't find it. She stopped a student in the hall once the croud had died down.

"Excuse me...can you tell me where room #720 is?" she asked. The girl looked at her and smiled unsurly, as if trying not to be rude.

"Room #720? I think it's on the next hall. Ninth door on the left."

Shadow smiled faintly and bowed. "Thank you."

The girl bowed and walked into her classroom. In the next hall the rooms all looked the same. When she found the room, she walked in and no one seamed to notice. She looked around and saw that she didn't see anyone she knew. Shadow made her way to the back of the room and sat in an empty desk.

Once class started, she thought that she could just get her work done and then class would be over. Easy. Then the teacher made her way to the front of the class. She was young and attractive. Her brown hair was to the middle of her back and she wore a light blue dress shirt and a darker blue skirt with matching high heals. She seamed to be nice enough. Shadow didn't really notice her though. She was too busy trying to figure out what class she was in. The teacher rapped her pencil on the blackboard and the students took their seats and looked strait ahead. Shadow didn't bother to look up.

"Okay class, we have a lot to do today and only an hour to do it. So...lets get started," she said in a pleasant voice. The students took out a few textbooks and pieces of paper and got to work. The words "Page 238 - 240 in you Algebra textbook" were written on the blackboard.

"_Oh great..._" thought Shadow, "_Math class._" She sighed and reached into her messager bag and pulled out a two-inch thick blue textbook and three sheets of paper. She opened the book the page 238 and looked at the first problem.

"_'2,905 x 7,184 + 10,000 x 13,782?' Please tell me this is a joke..._" she thought, disgusted, "_Oh well...I guess this will be an easy class after all._" She got to work on the first problem. It took her about half a minute to solve it. 287,761,544,640.

"_Piece of cake,_" she thought, smiling. As she moved onto the next problem, she heard the teacher announce a new student was in the class.

"_Oh not again..._" she thought, gloomily. She senced that the teacher was looking at her and looked up from her work.

"Would you please come to the front of the class?" she asked. Shadow nodded and stood up. The students watched her as she walked to the front of the room. When she reached the front, the teacher asked her to write her name on the blackboard and tell the class about herself. Shadow nodded and wrote her name.

A girl in the middle of the fifth row looked up and gasped. Her dirty blond hair fell a little below the shoulders and she wore an army print shirt and black pants with black boots. Her dark eyes sparkled with the threat of tears. She poked the girl sitting next to her.

"Ashige! Ashige!" she whispered. The girl named Ashige shot her an annoyed look.

"What Ryven!?" she whispered back. She had dark brown hair that was about the same length as the other girl's and was slightly wavy. She had on a light blue shirt with a white rabbit on it and blue jeans with brown flip-flops.

"That girl. You do know who she is don't you!?" asked Ryven. Ashige shook her head.

"No why?" she replied.

"That's the girl I told you about! You remember; my friend who moved away three years ago."

"Oh. Well...why don't you go and talk to her?"

Ryven looked to the front again. "I'll wait...It'll be kinda weird if I just walk up to her and start a conversation."

Ashige nodded. "Yeah...I guess you're right."

Shadow turned back to the class. "My name is Derashi, Shadow. I'm fourteen years old and just moved here."

"Where did you move here from, Miss Derashi?" asked the teacher.

"Originaly I was born here. But three years ago, I moved to Tokyo because of a family issue. But now I'm back and I hope to see some of my old friends again."

"Oh that's nice. Do you think you're going to like it here at Akimora High?"

Shadow nodded. "Yes, I just wish the school were a little smaller. I almost got lost this morning." A few of the students laughed. "_What's so funny?_" thought Shadow, "_I really did almost get lost. _" She sighed and shook her head. "_Humans..._"

Her next class was History, room #785. This time she sat near the front of the class instead of in the back since she knew the teacher would probably ask her to come to the front and tell the class about herself. Shadow looked around the room and still didn't recognize any of the people to be her friends. Then the teacher entered the room. He was an old man around maybe 52 years old. He wore a black suit with thick glasses and his grey hair was slicked back. He was around five feet tall at the most. Shadow flipped through the pages of her History textbook and sighed.

"_3...2..._" she thought, "_1..._"

"Miss Derashi?" said a whithered voice. She looked up from the book and saw that the old man was looking at her. "Would you come up here please?" he asked.

"Yes, teacher,"she replied, standing.

"No way...that can't be her," mumbled a boy in the back of the class. He had short light black hair and wore a black turtle neck with dark blue jeans and black sneakers. Around his neck was a choker. "Hey Dante...look at the new kid," he said, nudging the boy next to him in the arm.

"What? Why?" he asked. He had short dark hair and wore a black tee shirt with the words "math is hard" printed on it in white. He had on blue jeans and thin rimed glasses.

"Just look."

Dante looked at the front of the room and stared for a moment. His expression didn't change but he was clearly shocked. "Cain..." he said, "is that who I think it is?"

Cain looked to the front of the room and nodded. "Yep...Shadow's back," he said, grinning.


	6. Reunion

Life 6: Reunion

The rest of class was pretty normal. Everyone was quiet for the most part and did their work. A few of the students were walking around the room, talking to other students. Once the students had finished with their work, they could do pretty much whatever they wanted. Talk, draw, read, sleep...that was pretty much it. That's all the students ever really did anyway. Shadow turned in her work and sat down at her desk. She took out a small electronic device and looked at it for a moment before putting in back in her pocket. One of the girls walked over to her. Kaiya. The girl from her first class. She smiled.

"What do you want?" Shadow asked, her expression blank.

Kaiya's smiled faded. "Oh...nothing. You're just so quiet."

Shadow grinned. "I've always been that way I guess. Sorry I snapped at you."

Kaiya sat in the chair next to her and smiled again. "That's okay. I guessed I deserved it."

"Heh..." Shadow looked at the ceiling.

"So...you really live all by yourself?" Shadow looked back at Kaiya and nodded slowly. "I'm sorry...about your parents."

Shadow smiled slightly. "It's okay. It was a long time ago." Kaiya smiled, too. "How old are you anyway? You're not old enough to be high school that's for sure," commented Shadow. Kaiya looked down.

"I just turned twelve last week."

Shadow's eyes widened slightly. "Twelve!?"

Kaiya looked up again. "Yeah. I skipped seventh and eighth grade," she said.

Shadow closed her eyes and smiled. "Too smart for your own good, eh?"

Kaiya laughed quietly. "I guess so!"

A few feet away, Dante and Cain watched the two of them.

"It seams that Shadow's made a new friend," muttered Dante.

Cain nodded. "She needs a friend or two."

"We're her friends. So are Zepher and Ryven. She doesn't really need anymore, Cain."

Cain grinned. "Jealous?" Dante glared at him. "I was kidding." He looked back at Shadow and Kaiya. Shadow was smiling. For the first time in a long time, his little sister was smiling. After class was out, the boys met up with Ryven, Ashige, Zepher, and Raziel in the halls.

"Hey guys!" cried Ryven happily when she saw them. Dante and Raziel looked at her and sighed.

"Can she ever be quiet?" asked Raziel. Dante shook his head.

"Guys! You'll never guess who's here!" Ryven said when she reached them.

"Shadow," said Zepher, Cain and Dante.

Ryven widened her eyes in shock. "Yeah, she's in me and Ashige's math class. How did you guys know about her?"

"Homeroom with me and Raz," said Zepher.

"History," Cain and Dante said in unison.

Ashige sighed. "Okay...now I know who you're talking about. But who is this Shadow person anyway?" she asked.

Raziel nodded. "All I know is that Zepher has a crush on her..."

"I do not have a crush on Shadow, Raz," growled Zepher.

"Sure..." said Raziel, trying not to laugh.

"Hello? Who is she exactly?" cried Ashige.

"She's a friend of ours from a long time ago," said Dante, closing his eyes.

"She left Kyoto, for some reason, three years ago and we hadn't heard from her since," continued Cain.

"Until now," Ryven said looking at the floor. It was quiet for a while, even with the hundreds of students making their ways to their next classes.

"How about we have lunch with her? Catch up on things, you know? And so me and Raz can meet her," said Ashige.

Cain nodded. "What about you guys?" he asked the others. They nodded in agreement.

"Right. We'll meet up in the commons and surprise her!" said Ryven, happily.

"Don't you think she knows we're here already?" asked Dante.

"If she did, don't you think she would've approached us?" asked Zepher.

"I guess..."

"Okay well the bell is gonna ring any second now. We'd better get to class," said Raziel. They all nodded and then parted for their next class.

"See ya in a little!" called Ryven over her shoulder.

After reading class was over, Shadow and Kaiya made their way to the commons. They waited in line to get their lunch then found an empty table and sat down. After about fifteen minutes, a boy walked over to them.

"Hey, Shadow, look behind you," said Kaiya, nodding. She did. Raziel smiled.

"Derashi, Shadow right?" he asked. Shadow nodded.

"I know you. You the one from this morning in homeroom," she said.

Raziel rubbed the back of his head. "Heh...yeah. I'm sorry I pried like that," he said.

Shadow shook her head. "It's okay."

"Hey, I have a few friends I'd like you to meet. Care to sit with us?"

Shadow looked at him uneasily then back at Kaiya. She smiled and nodded. Shadow looked back at Raziel and stood up. "Okay...but can Kaiya come?"

Raziel shook his head. "Sorry, but they just want to meet you."

"That's okay. Any friend of your's isn't worth meeting, Raziel," said Kaiya, pouting.

"Hey!" exclaimed Raziel, "I'm older than you so don't get smart with me you brat!"

"Yeah well it's the truth!" argued Kaiya.

Shadow sighed and smiled. "So...am I going to meet your friends or am going to have to listen to your arguing?" she asked. Raziel looked at her and grinned.

"Heh...sorry," he said, "See ya Kaiya!" Kaiya sighed and sat back down as she watched Shadow leave with Raziel.

"Yeah...see ya."

While Shadow followed Raziel, she couldn't help but feel that he was...different from the other kids at the school. He was nice, but something was a little off. She shook her head and continued to follow him. Suddenly the wind was knocked out of her. Something had grabbed her and it wouldn't get off. She wanted to scream. Then she realized something.

"_This sent..._" she thought.

"Sister Shadow!!" cried Ryven. It was Ryven. And...she was crying. Shadow looked at her and tears started to fall from her eyes.

"Rei...it's you," she said, stunned. Ryven still didn't let go and she didn't stop crying. Shadow smiled and looked beyond her. Sitting at the table, smiling at her, were Cain, Dante, and Zepher...her best friends. Finally Ryven let go and smiled at her.

"I can't believe you're back," she said, tears still falling. Cain stood up and walked over to her.

"Hey sis, long time no see!" he said, wrapping an arm around her. Shadow smiled and hugged him. He hugged her back. Shadow stepped back and looked at Zepher. He smiled. So did she. Raziel walked over to Dante and put an arm around his shoulder.

"Aren't you gonna say "Hi" Dante?" he asked. He glared at him.

"Get your arm off me, Raziel," he hissed.

Raziel took a step back. "Sorry!"

Shadow smiled and wiped away her tears. She looked at Dante and he waved.

"Hey, Shadow. Been a while huh?" he asked.

Shadow nodded. "Yeah...it has."

Ryven walked over to the table and sat down.

"Ashige, Raz, as you might've guessed, this is Shadow," she said when everyone had sat down.

Ashige smiled. "Nice to meet you, Shadow."

Raziel nodded. "Yeah, we've already met."

"Shadow, Raz is a Vampire and Ashige is a Wolf Demon," Ryven continued.

"Really? Well that's cool..." said Shadow.

"And, according to Cain," said Ashige, "you're not human either."

Shadow nodded then glared at Cain.

"What?" he asked, innocently.

Shadow shook her head and looked back at Ashige. "No...I'm not human."

Ashige and Raziel exchanged exciteted looks.

"If you're not human...what are you then?" asked Ashige.

Shadow closed her eyes and smiled sadly. "An abomination."

Zepher stared coldly at her. "You are NOT an abomination, Shadow! You're special and you're important to us!" he hissed.

Shadow looked up at him, a shocked expression on her face. "Zeh...Zepher..." she whispered.

"Don't ever say that you're an abomination. You're not...you're our friend."

Raven, Cain, Ashige, Raziel, and even Dante started in utter shock at Zepher. He was always the quiet one and for him to explode like that all of the sudden was a big deal. Zepher didn't take his eyes off of Shadow. Slowly, his expression softened. He sighed and sat back in the chair, his gaze still fixed on Shadow. Raziel couldn't stay quiet anymore.

"Shadow...why would you say that about yourself?" he asked, leaning across the table.

Shadow looked up at him. "Because...of what I am." She stood up and bowed. "I have to go. It was nice seeing you all again," she said. Then she turned and walked away, leaving an errie silence in the air. After a while, Cain looked at Raziel.

"You have to understand, Raz. She's been through a lot," he said calmly.

"But still, I don't understand why she would consider herself an abomination..." replied Raziel.

Cain sighed. "Dante...maybe you should explain. You understand it more that I do." Dante nodded and looked at Raziel.

"Shadow isn't human. You two already know that much." Ashige nodded. "Well that's because she's a little bit of everything that's not human," said Dante, closing his eyes.

Ashige and Raziel stared.

"What do you mean...'everything that's not human?'" Ashige asked.

"Exactly what it sounds like..." answered Ryven. Ashige gave her a questioningly look.

"Shadow is twenty five percent of four different spieces. Twenty five percent demon, twenty five percent Vampire, twenty five percent angel, and twenty five percent humonculus," Dante said, his eyes fixed on the floor. "She's got it worce than all of us. It doesn't help that she's never had a family."

Raziel's eyes grew wider. "What do you mean?" he asked, "She said that her parent's died."

"No...she's been alone basicly her whole life," replied Cain. "I found her when she was around five years old, wandering the Netherworld. I became her adopted brother and Rei became her adopted sister. She didn't like the fact that we cared about her though...she didn't want us around for the fear of hurting us. Destroying us."

"What are you talking about!?" shouted Ashige, "She doesn't look that dangerous!"

Cain narrowed his eyes. "That's what she's afraid of..."

"Huh?"

"She's afraid that since she doesn't look dangerous, people will try to be her friend. She doesn't want to get close to anyone for the reason that she might lose control of herself and hurt the people she cares about...She pretends not to care about anyone so no one will want to be her friend. She's been all alone for so long that I was beginning to lose hope that she would open up to someone." A faint smile crossed his face.

"What do you mean?" asked Raziel. Ryven smiled.

"Sister Shadow has friends now. So that means that for once in her life...she's happy."

Ashige and Raziel looked at each other then in the direction that Shadow left. Zepher closed his eyes and smiled.

"Shadow has a family now," he said quietly.


	7. The Promise

Life 7: The Promise

Shadow pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from her messanger bag when the bell rang. She took out a pen and crossed something out. She sighed.

"_Just three more_..." she thought, looking at the paper.

Once she made it to her next class, Language Arts, room #523, she sat in the back of the room.

"_If the teacher asks..._" she thought, "_I'll just say I don't feel like introducing myself._"

And she did. The teacher said it was alright and that she didn't have to. After language arts was over she made her way to the other side of the school for technology, room #902, her best subject. Shadow was extreamly good with electronics and loved to work with anything to do with it. The teacher even commented her for being a head of the class and for working so hard. After that, she went to Art class, room #911. Shadow didn't really care for it but it was better than Home Ec. Her assignment was to draw someone important to her.

"_Someone...important to me?_" she asked herself, "_I don't even know who that is...how am I supposed to draw someone?_" She sighed and stared at the blank sheet of paper.

Before she knew it, the next bell rang and it was time to leave. Shadow looked at her paper again...it was still blank.

"Oh well..." she mumbled, walking out of the room. She made her way to the front of the school and started home. "Well that was an interesting day..." she said to herself.

The cool air washed over her and bit at her flesh as she walked away from the school grounds. She was surprised that it was already getting dark and quickend her pace. Soon it was freezing and she stopped in her tracks. Shadow wrapped her arms around herself and tried to get a little warmer before starting home again. Then she felt something drape around her shoulders. It was warm and felt good against her cold skin. She looked over her shoulder and saw Zepher standing there, smiling at her. He had taken off his jacket and wrapped it around her.

"Thanks, Zepher..." she said shyly. He nodded and took her messanger bag and put it over his shoulder.

"I'll walk you home, okay?" he said, grinning. Shadow smiled and started walking again. She felt safer now that he was with her. She didn't know why, but she did.

"Hey Shad..." he said, "are you okay?"

Shadow looked at him and nodded. "Yeah...just a little cold that's all."

"Are you sure?" he asked, his eyes fixed on her.

She nodded again. "Why do you ask?"

Zepher shrugged and kept walking. They were quiet for a while before Zepher broke the silence. "So...how have you been Shadow?" he asked.

She was quiet for a moment then answered, "Fine..."

"Good to hear."

Shadow looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "What about you? How have things been since I left?" she asked.

Zepher grinned. "It's been great. No one missed you at all, Shadow!"

Shadow stared at him for a moment, then, facing forward again, let out a quiet laugh. "Very funny..."

Zepher stopped and watched as Shadow continued to walk farther and farther away from him. He narrowed his eyes and looked down at the frozen ground below him. After a while, Shadow reached the apartment building where she lived and noticed that he wasn't behind her and looked back over her shoulder.

"Zepher!?" she called. He wasn't there. Shadow took a few steps and started to reach her hand out as if to touch an invisible being. Her eyes started to tear up.

"Zepher..." she said sadly, her hand still extended. Shadow closed her eyes and slowly lowered her head. Her arm dropped by her side and she stood there as the first of winter snow started to fall from the now dark sky. "He...he's gone..."

"_Of course he's gone..._" she thought, "_Why would he want to stay? After all...we're so different from each other._" She opened her eyes slightly and gripped the jacket that Zepher had put around her shoulders. "_I should go inside...It's getting colder by the second._"

She sighed and looked up into the endless night. The stars sparkled like small diamonds. Then she heard something behind her and turned around. Instantly she felt warm. Arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. Shadow's eyes widened and flashed golden. She tried to pull away but the grip around her only tightend.

"No!" she cried, "Let me go!" She started to trash about, trying to losen the attackers grip.

"I mean it! I'll kill you! Let go of me!"

"Shadow! It's just me!"

"Huh!?" Shadow looked up and saw Zepher, looking down at her. Shadow's eyes turned black again and she stared up at him. "Zepher...you didn't...I thought you left!" Zepher blinked.

"Ouch...Well I'm sorry to disappoint you but I would never leave you alone, Shadow. I care about you too much."

Shadow's eyes shook slightly and her cheeks grew a pale red. Zepher smiled kindly at her and caressed Shadow's cheek in his hand.

"Zepher..." she said, the words barely escaping her lips. She buried her face in his chest and started to sob. "Zepher! Don't leave me! Please don't leave me!" Zepher stared down at her, his eyes wide with shock and feeling.

"_Shadow...you're..._" He narrowed his eyes softly and said, "Shadow...you have to promise me something first."

Shadow looked up at him, her cheeks red from the tears. Zepher wiped them away and said, "You have to promise me that you won't leave again..." His bangs covered his eyes. "we all missed you too much for you to leave us again."

Shadow's black eyes widend then sofend as they sparkled and she smiled faintly. "I...I promise."

Zepher closed his eyes and sighed. When he looked down at her and said, "Now...let me see those pretty eyes of your's." Shadow blinked as if she didn't know what he meant. Then she did. She closed her eyes then looked up at him, her golden demonic eyes glisening in the light. A smile crossed Zepher's lips.

"See? You're not an abomination..." he said, "you're just different from everyone else. Speacial. Unique."

Shadow smiled and her tears sparked as they fell. Zepher held her and Shadow let out a calmed sigh.

"_So..._" she thought, "_this is what if feels like to be cared about._" She liked the feeling of being in someone's arms, the feeling of warmth from someone else. The warmth she was denighed for so long. Her eyes closed. "_Why is it...that you are the only one who seams to know the real me?_"

Zepher chuckled a bit and Shadow looked up at him. "Haven't you guessed it yet?" he asked. Shadow blinked, not understanding.

"Wha...what? What do you mean, Zepher?" Zepher narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and smiled.

"I love you...Shadow," he whispered.


	8. Enter, Bane and Johnny

Life 8: Enter; Bane and Johnny

The next day, Shadow, Ashige, Dante, and Zepher met at the bar, Dark Light, which was about 2 in a half hours away from Akimora High. Shadow had heard about it, but she had never actually been there. She didn't even know if she could get in!

Ashige patted her on the back and said, "Don't worry about it, Shadow! You'll be able to come inside, trust me."

Shadow smiled nervously and followed her friends inside. It was very dark inside, which she liked, and heavy metal was playing over the speakers. Dante walked a few feet then looked over his shoulder back at the three.

"Z, we should go check in before--"

"DANTE! ZEPHER!" came a voice from across the room. Dante narrowed his eyes in annoyance and Zepher lowered his head.

"Shit..." they said in unison. They both looked in the direction of the voice and saw Cain.

Shadow raised an eyebrow and said, "Cain? What are you doing here?"

Ashige smirked. "He's the owner!" she said.

Shadow looked at her, her eyes slightly wide. "What? When did he start running a bar?"

"Since about a year after you left..." muttered Dante, as Cain walked over to them, a pissed look on his face.

"You two morons are late!" he shouted, the whole bar becoming silent. Zepher looked up at him and narrowed his eyes.

"Well sorry...We had to go get Shadow and Ashige," he said. "Remember? You asked us to bring them?"

Cain looked at Zepher then at Shadow and Ashige. "Oh...yeah." When he noticed that the bar was quiet, he glared at the customers and shouted, "What the fuck are you fucks lookin' at?" The bar immediately got loud again.

Dante rolled his eyes and walked away, followed by Zepher. Shadow watched them leave then looked up at Cain.

"So...Dante and Zepher work here?"

Cain nodded. "Yep, so do Rei and Raz, who is yet again, late."

Ashige walked away and went to the bar and sat down.

"Well, where's Rei?" asked Shadow.

"She's around here somewhere. She's a waitress at the moment."

"What do you mean 'at the moment?'"

Cain looked over at four tall polls in the middle of the bar. At the top, were thread-like wires that crossed over to the opposite poll. Two of the polls were around 100 feet in the air and the other two were around 150.

Shadow followed his gaze and asked, "What the hell are those for?"

Cain grinned. "That's Rei's other job; she's a tight-rope dancer."

Shadow stared at him. "What!?"

"Don't worry, she's been doing this for a while."

Shadow narrowed her eyes slightly and looked back at the tight-ropes. Suddenly, the doors to the bar burst open and three guys fell into the room. Cain and Shadow both stared at them and Cain said, "Raziel! I told you and you're friends to stop getting drunk and then coming here!"

Raziel looked up and muttered, "We're not drunk..."

Cain walked over as Raziel got up on his hands and knees and looked down at him. "Oh really?"

"Yeah really," he said, staggering to his feet.

Cain grinned. "You look drunk to me."

"Well...we ain't!" said Raziel, "We're--" He fell over. "Ow...dizzy..."

One of the other guys who were with Raziel, stood up.

"I'm not drunk!" he said, "I'm just...confused!" The man was around five foot six with long black hair with blue, and purple streaks. He looked to be around 20 years old. He wore a black tank top and baggy black pants with chains on them.

Then the OTHER guy looked up and said, "I'm drunk..."

Cain raised an eyebrow. "I can see that."

The man grabbed the other's pant leg and pulled himself up to wrap his arms around his waist.

"Suuuuuuuuuup?"

Cain just stared. The man appeared to be taller than the blue and purple haired one, maybe six foot one and had spiked black hair with dark and neon green streaks. He wore an unbuttoned white (O.o;; omg WHITE!) flannel shirt and baggy back pants with holes in the knees. He looked a little older than the other too, maybe 25 years old. He managed to get himself standing and leaned on the other's shoulder.

Shadow stared at them and thought, "_Who are these guys?_"

Cain rolled his eyes and kicked Raziel lightly. "Get up, Raz. And make sure these two don't cause any trouble," he said, walking away.

Raziel staggered to his feet and sighed. "Fine..."

"And don't forget, you're supposed to be working!" called Cain.

"I KNOW!" he shouted, storming off to check in. Shadow watched as the two guys that came with Raziel went to the bar. They both ordered a bottle of sake and started singing to the music that was playing over the speakers. Shadow sighed and walked to the bar and sat next to Ashige, who was drinking some sort of alcohol.

"Do you know who they are?" she asked, nodding towards the two guys.

Ashige glanced over at them and said, "Yeah, they come here a lot with Raz. I don't know their names though."

"Oh okay," said Shadow as Raziel came over to her from behind the bar.

"Hey, Shadow! What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Cain asked me to come," she answered. "By the way, who are you're friends? The ones that came with you."

He looked confused for a minute then grinned. "Oh, you mean Bane and Johnny?"

Shadow shrugged. "If that's their names, then yes."

"Yeah, that's them..."

The one with green hair shouted, "Who said my name, bitches?"

The other laughed and said, "Calm down, Johnny."

"SHUT UP BITCH!"

The one with blue hair, Bane, looked at him with puppy eyes. Johnny sighed and hugged him.

"I'm sorry!"

Bane giggled and hugged him back. "Yay! Hugs!"

Shadow stared at them with wide eyes. "The hell?"

Ashige smiled. "Did I forget to mention that they are gay?"

Shadow looked back at her. "Yeah, I think you did."

"My bad."

Raziel raised an eyebrow. "And what's wrong with that huh?"

Shadow looked at him and smiled nervously. "Nothing." He narrowed his eyes and glared at her. "What? I said nothing was wrong with it!"

Raziel looked away to get a drink for some other guy. "Uh huh..."

Shadow rolled her eyes and looked back at Bane and Johnny. To her surprise, Bane's face was five inches in front of her's. Her eyes grew wide again and he grinned.

"I'm the pimp, he's the whore!" he said in a childish voice.

"Uh...okay," said Shadow quietly.

Johnny pulled him back and said, "Nu uh! I'm the pimp! You is my whore!"

Bane smiled, and looked up at him up-side-down. "Fine...as long as I'm _your _whore."

"Oh you're my whore alright!"

"Yay!" Bane giggled again and kissed Johnny. Shadow looked away and blushed slightly as the two made out. Raziel walked out from behind the bar and tapped Johnny on the shoulder. He looked back at him with a questioning look on his face.

"What did I tell you two? No having sex in the bar!" Raziel scolded.

"Eh...shut up pretty boy!" shouted Bane, sitting up and placing his arm around Johnny's shoulder.

"Besides, we weren't "having sex in the bar!" We were _kissing_ in the bar," said Johnny, "And there ain't no rule that says we can't do that!"

Raziel was a bit taken aback by that comment and his eye twitched slightly. "Fine...just don't let Cain see ya," he said, walking back behind the bar. "You know how he gets."

Bane nodded. "Yeah...last time...he was really, really, really, really, very, very scary!" he said, his eyes wide.

Shadow grinned slightly. "So I guess you got on his bad side neh?" she asked.

Johnny looked back at her and raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh...He got all pissed off and kicked us out. And in the rain no less!" he said, crossing his arms. "But uh...who are you anyway?"

Shadow chuckled silently and said, "I'm Derashi Shadow, Cain's adopted sister."

Just then, Ryven came walking around the corner and saw her. "Sister Shadow!" she said happily. Shadow looked at her and waved slightly. "Hey, what are you guys doing here?" she asked, seeing Ashige.

"Cain asked us to come. Dunno why...this place is boring..."

Ryven grinned. "Yes well, it's almost my turn to go up there. I'll make sure to get this place in an uproar for ya, Ashige!"

Shadow looked up at the highwires and a nervouse look crossed her face.


	9. Showtime

Life 9: Showtime

"_Alright everyone! May I have your attention for a moment?_" Cain shouted into a microphone at the top of one of the polls. A spot light fell on him. "_The show is about to begin!_"

Everyone below him looked up at him and grew silent. Random cheers and whistles broke out across the bar. A smirk crossed Cain's lips and he looked straight down into the crowd that had gathered around the four polls in the middle of the bar. Shadow and Ashige had made there way though the crowd of humans, Vampires, Wraiths, and demons and were looking up at him. Ashige was smiling with excitement but Shadow...her face showed slight worry. Cain winked at her and then looked up above him. Shadow followed his gaze but could not see anything. Then she did. A faint shadow in the darkness standing on the wires. The figures head nodded and Cain did too.

"_Now is the time you've all been waiting for! The main performance of the night!_" shouted Cain. "_Ryvan will now show us all what real skill is! Is everyone ready?_"

The entire bar grew loud with cheers and shouts. Cain grinned and snapped his fingers. Heavy metal started playing extremely loud and then he jumped down from the poll. A fifty foot drop. He landed squarely and walked over to Shadow and Ashige as the spot light faded from him and the cheers grew even louder.

"Down worry, Shadow," he said in her ear. "Rei knows what she's doing."

Shadow smiled faintly and Cain put his hand on her shoulder. With a grin still on his face, Cain walked away to join Zepher, Dante and Raziel by the bar, who were looking up at the four polls, waiting for the show to begin. Suddenly, the music stopped and the spotlight appeared dimly on a girl standing in the middle of the wires. Ryven. She wore a black dress with a white flowing sash. The dress was torn and ripped and Ryven's hair fell just below the shoulders, straightened. Her eyes were closed, her arms crossed like a pharaoh being put to rest. Her feet were bare.

Then the music started again, calm...sweet...pretty. After a few seconds, to Shadow's horror, Ryven fell freely off the wires.


	10. The Performance Of Death

Life 10: The Performance of Death

Shadow rushed through the crowd, trying to reach Ryven before she hit the ground. The she felt herself getting pulled back and then felt someone behind her, grabbing a hold of her shoulders. She looked back and saw Cain. He had a grin on his face. Shadow started at him in misunderstanding horror.

"Cain! Let go! Rei is going to--"

"She'll be fine. She's done this before."

Cain looked back up at the falling girl, Shadow followed his gaze. Ryven's eyes snapped open and she threw arm out and grabbed the second wire. She flipped up onto it and the whole bar erupted into cheers. Shadow felt like she was going to faint. She hated when Ryven did something dangerous. Cain felt Shadow stumble backwards and braced her.

He looked at her and asked, "You alright?" Shadow nodded and kept her eyes on Ryven.

Ryven was oblivious to the ones below her. The only things that existed was the wire and herself. She crossed her wrists in front of her as the music continued. She took a step then closed her eyes, slightly falling again then stepping back, again, almost falling. Her right arm threw across her face and then flowed behind her. Her face followed the movement then she looked ahead. She reached out and then started to gently run across the wires.

Below, Shadow watched as Ryven danced. She was indeed good, but still she worried. That last stunt scared her out of her wits. She was mesmerized by her movements to say the least, even though she was nervous. Beside her, Ashige smiled in awe.

"Rei's really good, huh?" she whispered. Shadow couldn't speak. She didn't want to. She simply nodded and then looked back at Cain. He smiled at her then walked back over to Dante, Raziel, and Zepher. Zepher looked at him as he drew near then saw Shadow. He smiled and nodded at her. Shadow smiled back then looked up at Ryven again.

The girl danced and danced as the crowd below grew loud with each step she took. Ryven drew near the middle of the wires then jumped down to the one below it, landing on the very tips of her toes. Then as them music grew quiet, her eyes opened slowly. She looked down emotionlessly at the crowed and the cheers and whistles grew even louder. Shadow knew that look, and a silent scream rose in her throat as huge blood red wings ripped out of Ryven's back, making a sickening CRACK! sound.

As the sound faded, Ryven gently let herself fall off the wires down into the crowd, her eyes closing. Shadow rushed once more through the crowd of mortal and immortals to get to Ryven. This time, Cain did not stop her.

"MOVE GODDAMNIT!" screamed Shadow, shoving beings out of her way. She wouldn't make it to her at this rate. She had no choice. Gritting her teeth she snapped her eyes shut and aloud her large and painful black wings tear out of her. Shadow suppressed a scream as she shot through the air and surged towards the falling girl. Drops of blood splattered around every time she pushed down and up with her wings. She slowed and hovered in the air as Ryven's body fell into her arms and then slowly descended, breathing heavily.

Cheers and shouts from the beings below began to grow quiet as Shadow hit the floor and stumbled, then quickly catching herself. She lay Ryven on the ground and sat down on her knees, the demons and humans and undead parting. Her wings ached and stung but she tried to ignore it. Cain and Dante emerged from the crowd and looked from Shadow to Ryven.

Dante knelt next to Shadow and asked, "You okay?"

She nodded slightly and continued to stare down at Ryven. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled. Shadow sighed and closed her eyes.

Ryven sat up and said, "That was perfect! You did exactly what we thought you would do!"

Shadow didn't answer her. She didn't even look up or yell at Ryven for scaring her. Dante shook her shoulder slowly and raised an eyebrow. "Shadow?"

Cain stepped forward and stared down at her.

Ryven looked confused. "Sister Shadow? Are you okay? You're not mad are you?"

Shadow still said nothing. Ryven smiled nervously and reached out to put her hand on her shoulder. She stopped and her eyes shook with fear. Dante stared at Shadow as he, Ryven, and Cain realized what was going on: Shadow was unconscious. Her dark wings were folded awkwardly behind her, the wounds bleeding from where they ripped out from her back and her breathing was shallow. Shadow's body fell gently onto Dante and he put an arm around her, staring in horror as he realized that his friend was dying.


	11. Consequences

Life 11: Consequences

Cain watched as the demons started to gather around and he let out a loud roar. "Come any closer and I'll kill every last one of you!" he shouted, "This bar is closed! Now get outta here!"

The damned souls quickly left, fearing the consequences. The ones who didn't leave were Bane and Johnny. They stayed at the bar, waiting for Raziel to get off work. Zepher noticed that the bar was empty and looked around, seeing that Ryven and Cain were surrounding Dante who was sitting on the floor.

"What's going on?" he asked, walking over to them. When they didn't answer, he looked over Cain's shoulder to see Ryven, tears falling from her eyes, staring at Shadow in Dante's arms. He had a pained look on his face and he looked like he was going to cry, but he never cried.

"Shadow!" he shouted, pushing Cain out of the way and dropping to his knees, taking Shadow from Dante. He looked up at Cain and glared. "What the fuck happened to her?" he barked.

"It...it wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to..." Ryven looked at Zepher and sniffled. He shot a glance that demanded what she was talking about. "Cain and I...we thought it would be cool to include sister Shadow in the act," she explained. "But...we didn't think that--we didn't know that..."

Dante looked at Zepher with a dark look. "Her wings...aren't like those of an Angel," he said quietly, standing up. "Since she's...well, as Shadow put it, an abomination--I don't like the term either, Z...so don't give me that look--the things she can handle and the things she can't are put to even more drastic consequences. For example, if she we all Angel, when she unfolded her wings, it wouldn't have done that to her." He motioned to the wounds that Shadow's bloody wings had sprouted from. The bones in her back could even be seen.

Ryven flinched and Cain narrowd his eyes. "Instead, the wings simply would have...well...I guess materialized is one way to put it. Here's another way to get the picture; if she were all homunculus, like me, then she could most likely survive what this is doing to her. But since she's not, and only 25, her chances are very slim."

Zepher stood up, Shadow in his arms, her wing tips touching the ground, blood dripping from them. He eyed Cain for a moment accusingly and then looked at Dante.

"So how do we help her?" Ryven sniffled and stood up, her wings fading away. "Cain...did you know this?"

He was quiet, still looking at his little sister. "Yes...I did."

"Then why did you allow this?" demanded Zepher. There eyes met and he could see that Cain was upset.

"I didn't think...that this would happen," he said simply. "I knew that she would suffer some slight pain, from the wings breaking through her...but I didn't know that this would happen."

* * *

**Yeah, yeah I know...short chapters. I can't help it. I have writer's block, so sue me...Just review and tell me what you think.**


	12. Now We Wait part I

Life 12: Now We Wait part I

A dim light poured into the room and Shadow stirred from under the covers. The room was cold...freezing almost. Shadow slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She heard a loud banging from outside the room and a voice:

"Sister Shadow! Wake up already!"

The silver haired girl blinked and sat up slowly. She put a hand over her face and sighed. "Where...where am I?" she mumbled. The voice outside the room sounded familiar but...

"Sister Shadow!" it called again.

Shadow lowered her hand and called, "Go away!"

"No!" the voice replied. "I'm coming in!"

The door opened and a girl stepped into the room. Shadow recoiled as the bright light burned her eyes.

"SHUT THE FUCKING DOOR!" she screamed, her voice not familiar to her. The door closed and the girl bowed.

"Sorry, sister Shadow, but you need to get up." She wore a red shirt with the word "MUAHA!" printed in black. She wore blue jeans and white sneakers with red stripes on the side. Her dirty blond hair fell just below her chin. She was so familiar...yet Shadow could not place her name. Wait.

"Ryven...?"

The girl blinked and smiled nervously. "You haven't said my real name in forever!" she said. "Are you alright?"

Shadow smiled faintly and nodded. "Yeah...I'm fine."

"Good!" said Ryven, pointing at her. "Cause we're going to be late!"

Shadow gave her a questioning look. "Late for...what?"

"Uhh remember!" shouted Ryven. "We're meeting the guys at the park! Today! At three?" Shadow stared at her blankly. Ryven frowned. "You...you don't remember? It was you're idea. We were talking about it just last night!"

Shadow shook her head. "No...I can't say that I do."

The other sighed and closed her eyes. "Well...we still have to be leaving soon," she said, looking back at Shadow. "Get up and get dressed." Then she opened the door and let the light hit Shadow's face. She through the covers over her head and screamed.

"Gah! Sorry, sister Shadow!" she heard Ryven shout as she closed the door. Shadow sighed and fell back onto the bed.

"_Was...was that all a dream?_" she thought. "_I...remember her falling...horrible pain...then relief. Who...who were those other people? They looked so familiar yet I...sigh...I guess it doesn't matter. I had better get up before Rei comes back._" Shadow closed her eyes and sat up again, now finding that she was, in fact, in her own room. She looked around and sighed.

* * *

"How is she?" asked Cain. Dante turned to him and shook his head.

"Not good," he said, his eyes narrowing. "I still can't believe that you two would actually scare her bad enough for her to use her wings. I don't care if it was just for the show."

His gaze drifted to Ryven, who was sitting next to a sleeping Shadow. She met his eyes and flinched. Dante looked away and then turned to the door. Zepher walked in and shot a quick glance at Cain and Ryven. When he looked at Dante, he shook his head indicating that nothing had changed. Zepher walked over to Shadow and his eyes narrowed sadly. She had a few blood splatters on her face and her black clothes were drenched in it. Her black wings were still sticking painfully out of her back and her skin was paler than normal. She let out a quiet gasp and clenched her fists. Zepher's jaw tightened and then he looked away, his eyes shut. Without a word, he turned, his black bangs covering his dark eyes, and walked out of the room, bumping into Raziel's shoulder on the way out. The Vampire looked back at him before walking into the room.

"Is he going to be okay?" he asked no one in particular. Cain shrugged and noticed that Bane and Johnny were with him.

"Don't you two have a home?" he asked blankly. Johnny glared at him.

"Of course we do! Where do you think we fuck each other? On the street?"

Bane shook his head and hit Johnny over the head.

"OW! What the fuck was that for fat ass?" he shouted.

Bane hit him again. "That was private information, Johnny," he said quietly, his eye twitching. "We came to see if Shadow was okay," he said to Cain this time. "Is that a problem?"

Cain glared at Johnny then shook his head. "It's fine. Just keep quiet will ya?"

Bane smiled. "No problemo."

Raziel rolled his eyes and walked over to Shadow's bed-side. "She's in a comma of some sort," he said to himself. "If she stays like this..."

"She'll die. Yes, we know Raz," finished Dante, walking up next to him. Raziel looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

"So...what are we gonna do?" he asked.

"Nothing for now. We'll wait another day and see if anything happens. Maybe she'll wake up," replied Dante.

Ryven didn't seem to be listening to a word anyone was saying. Her eyes were fixed on her sister, praying that she would open her eyes and everything would be back to normal. She looked at the needle that was embedded in Shadow's arm and then up at the blood bag that was attached to it. Type O negative. There was only one other person who had that blood type that she knew. Ryven looked over at Dante and stared for a moment.

"_That's right..._" she thought. "_Dante was the one who gave her his blood--the blood of a homunculus. I just hope it helped._" She looked back at her sister and felt her face crumple. She dropped her head into her hands and sobbed.

"_OH, THIS IS ALL MY FUALT!_" she screamed mentally.

* * *

**There...happy now? I wrote a long fucking chapter. BE GRATFUL BITCHES!**


	13. Now We Wait part II

Life 13: Now We Wait part II

Shadow walked next to Ryven as they headed towards that park. She looked at Ryven apologetically. "I...I'm sorry but...who are we going to meet again?" she asked. Ryven sighed and looked at her.

"We're going to see Cain, Dante and Z remember?" she replied. "Are you sure you're alright sister Shadow?"

Shadow nodded and looked up ahead. "You've been acting really odd you know. Maybe you should've stayed at home."

"No, I'm fine! Really!" protested Shadow, looking at Ryven and smiling. "I'm just a little confused this afternoon. I had a really strange dream is all."

Ryven stopped and looked her up and down and sighed again. "Well...okay. As long as you're sure you're alright," she said, walking again.

* * *

Dante noticed that Ryven was crying and sat down next to her. "Hey, it's alright. Shad's going to get better, you'll see."

She looked up at him and saw his fake smile. "Don't kid with me Dante. This is all my fault and there's nothing I can do for her!" she screamed, tears still falling down her cheeks. "I can't take this anymore! I can't sit here and watch her get worse!"

Dante narrowed his eyes and looked over at the sleeping girl. "Ryven...there's not a lot we _can_ do," he said calmly. " I've already given her some of my blood. I just hope that it will be enough. She lost a lot more than what I gave her."

"But I want to do something! You just don't understand!" Ryven cried. "She's not your sister!"

"SHUT UP ALREADY RYVEN!"

Everyone stared at Cain with shocked expressions. His eyes were snapped shut and his fists were clenched. His bangs covered his eyes and his breathing came in deep gasps.

"You're not the only one who's upset! It's not all you're fault so SHUT THE FUCK UP!" he hissed. "You crying isn't helping! We're all worried about her so you can quit the "I feel so helpless" act!"

Raziel walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Cain...Rei's just more sensitive to this kind of thing. Please just--"

Cain brushed him away and glared at the Vampire. "Don't touch me, Demetrious," he said, turning and walking out of the room.

Raziel stared in horror as a knife of ice stabbed his dead heart. "He...he's never called me by my last name before," he said quietly. Ryven sniffled and the tears started falling again.

Bane stared after the Prince of Hell and mumbled, "Whoa...scary."

Johnny nodded in agreement. "Fucking asshole."

Bane grinned and nudged him. "He's just upset. You can't blame him. Remember how pissy you got after you attacked me?" he said, his voice quiet. Johnny let out a low growl and closed his eyes, leaning against the back of the sofa he and Bane were sitting on. Bane smiled and looked at the still form of Shadow, his eyes narrowed slightly. He sighed.

"_I know I don't know you very well and I don't know how bad you're really hurt, Shadow,_" he thought. "_I just hope you come back to you're friends soon. I don't think they can take this much longer. It's clear you mean a great deal to them._"

* * *

The sun was blazing now and Shadow grew more and more irritated. "I wish we could get there faster," she complained.

Ryven chuckled. "Yeah me too. I guess I'm just a little bit more used to the heat and sun than you are, sister Shadow," she said, smiling.

Shadow growled and kicked a few rocks as they passed an apartment complex. She stopped and looked up at one of the trees that covered the sidewalk where she and Ryven were. It was a Sakura tree. A gentle breeze swept through its petals and made them dance around the silver haired girl. She smiled and closed her eyes. The petals lapped at her face and clothes and smelled so familiar, as if she had been surrounded by this sent before.

_How is she...? I'm so sorry... We're all worried about her! Come back..._

Shadow eyes snapped open and she let out a small gasp. She looked around frantically and saw Ryven staring at her oddly.

"Are you alright sister Shadow?" she asked, seeing the look on her face. Shadow blinked and nodded, not really sure if she heard those voices or not.

"Ye-yeah..." she said. "Um...Rei...did you hear them? Those voices?"

Ryven raised an eyebrow. "What voices?"

"You mean you didn't hear them? They were so clear..." Ryven shook her head. Shadow shrugged. "I..I guess I just imagined them," she mumbled, walking again.

After a few more minutes, they saw the figures of three people. Ryven stopped and so did Shadow. The dirty blond smiled brightly and ran towards them. Shadow smiled faintly and continued walking. One of the figures, who seamed to be the eldest, waved at the two girls. He had short, dark hair and wore a black long sleeve shirt and dark blue jeans with black shoes. he was maybe about fifteen or so. Around his neck was a black choker.

"Hey! Rei! Shadow! What took ya so long?" he called.

"Sorry Cain! Sister Shadow wouldn't wake up!" Ryven called back, now only a few feet from the three.

Shadow saw that Ryven was now walking over to the one with short, light black hair wearing a dark grey sweater and blue jeans with dark blue shoes who looked around eleven maybe twelve. His name was...Dante wasn't it? The one called Cain walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hi there, little sis," he said casually. Itaki smiled faintly and said "hi" in return. The last boy had long, silver hair and black bangs. He wore a black turtleneck shirt and black pants with black shoes. He smiled and walked over, his dark eyes seemed to be looking right through her.

"Hey Shadow," he said.

Shadow smiled and nodded. "Hi..." Oh god, what was his name? Oh...that's right. "Zepher-kun."

He smiled again. "Nice day huh?"

"Yeah...I just wish it was darker. I hate too much light..." Shadow said, shielding her eyes.

Zepher laughed. "You're not turning into a Vampire are you?"

* * *

Johnny stood next to Raziel as he slowly pulled the needle out of Shadow's arm, replacing it. Cain was not far off, having returned from his little episode.

"I'm not so sure if you two should be so close to Shadow...being Vampires and all," he said darkly.

Raziel chuckled slightly. "Don't worry Cain," he said. "I've already fed today."

"Yeah..same here," said Johnny, crossing his arms over his chest. "We won't suck what little blood she has left out of her. Vampires aren't THAT cruel you know."

Cain rolled his eyes and looked around the room. Ryven was now sleeping on Dante's shoulder, who was also asleep. Bane was sitting on the sofa still, drinking sake. Zepher, he hadn't seen since he had come to check on Shadow last. That was a day and a half ago.

"Wonder if Z's going to come check on Shadow soon..." he mumbled.

"Who knows?" said Raziel, not really caring that Cain was just thinking out loud like always. "Maybe he will, maybe he won't."

"Well...I guess he'll come to see her when he's good and ready," said Bane. "I mean...it's obvious that he has deep feelings for her, and the fact that this has happened to her caused huge mental damage. He feels bad that he couldn't do anything to stop Itaki-san from doing what she did."

Cain narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Knowing Z...he's probably more pissed off at me than anything. After all, it was my idea..."

Johnny looked over his shoulder and saw the look on his face. Cain really was upset. It was kind of odd to him, since Cain was, after all, the Prince of Hell. Johnny thought that he would be a little more...cruel and heartless if that's the right why to put it. But that's not who stood a few feet away. This guy actually had feelings, not like the other demons he had met in the past. It was actually refreshing to remember that there were demons who were 'nice'. After a while, Cain started to notice that Johnny was looking at him at let out a low growl. Johnny quickly looked away and began helping Raziel.

"I think he likes you Johnny!" whispered Raziel jokingly.

Johnny glared at him and grinned. "Too bad, I'm taken."

"Good," said Raziel, smiling. "because Cain is mine got it?"

"Got it. You can have him."

The two Vampires chuckled. Bane raised an eyebrow as Johnny walked back over to the sofa and grinned.

"And what, may I ask, was so funny?" he asked.

Johnny shrugged. "Nothing really. Just guy talk."

Bane gave him a hurt look. "But I'm a guy too ya know."

"No, you're a girl Bane."

"I thought you were the girl."

Johnny giggled and tackled Bane. "I can be girly...if you want me to."

Bane smiled and licked Johnny's cheek. "Nah, you're hot as a guy. You being girly would ruin it."

Johnny blushed. "Same goes for you ma sexy lova."

"GUYS! HONESTLY, AT A TIME LIKE THIS?" shouted Raziel. "HAVE SOME SELF-CONTROL!"

Bane and Johnny looked at each other then back at Raziel.

"We do have self-control," said Johnny.

"It just doesn't work very well at the moment," finished Bane, pulling Johnny closer to him.

Raziel rolled his eyes. "If you're gonna have sex, go into the next room. The last thing Shadow needs to see is you two doing it when she wakes up," he said, then pointed to Ryven and Dante. "Plus we have two other straight people in the room and I don't think they want to see that either."

Bane and Johnny looked at each other again and nodded. "Fuck you, pretty boy!" shouted Johnny, standing up.

"Yeah! We just wanted to have some fun!" echoed Bane. The two left the room and left Raziel swearing right and left. Cain chuckled and shook his head.

* * *

**I couldn't help it. I had to end a depressing chapter with a gay scene...**


	14. Now We Wait part III

Life 14: Now We Wait part III

Shadow moaned softly in her sleep and started to shiver. Dante, who was on watch, looked over at her. He stood and walked over to the sleeping girl and silently checked for a fever. It was still high. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, wondering what to do. Shadow already had three blankets covering her and had a change of clothes on. Raziel had changed her bandages before Dante took over his shift and had given her another dose of pain killers...So what could be wrong now? Dante looked down at her and put two fingers to her neck. Her pulse was beating rapidly, a sign of high blood pressure or pure adrinaline pumping through her. That's when he remembered; Shadow hadn't eaten anything since the incident.

"Damnit..." he muttered, looking around. There wasn't anything to eat in the room and he wasn't supposed to leave. There wasn't a phone in the room either and he didn't have his cell with him.

"Well...this is just great. Fine time for everyone else to be out..." He sighed and sat down in the chair that was left next to Shadow's bed, then closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "I just hope they get back soon. I don't know what to do..."

Dante muttered a curse and then fell silent, listening to the hospital equipment beep and hum. He still didn't know how Raziel had gotten it, but he didn't really care. As long as it helped him and his friends, there was no point in wondering about where it came from.

* * *

Shadow chuckled and shook her head. "No..." 

Zepher laughed and nodded. "Good," he said. "because Vampires suck!"

Cain narrowed his eyes and grinned. "Be careful what you say about Vampires, Z." Zepher faced him and raised an eyebrow.

"Why should I?"

Cain shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe 'cuz they might track you down and kill you for dissing their kind."

"Eh, let 'em come get me. I'll kill whoever tries to touch me!"

Dante rolled his eyes and grinned. Shadow shook her head and looked over at Cain.

"Hey Cain, don't you have duties to attend to?" she asked casually.

He shrugged and said, "Nope. Father gave me a few hours of free time before I have to go back and round up more troops." He groaned and rubbed his forehead.

"It's hopeless though. Those morons don't know the first thing about combat." Dante crossed his arms and cocked his head to one side.

"Why not give the job to someone else? It's clear that you're not skilled enough to get a few demons to learn how to use a weapon," he said grinning. Cain glared and shot up to slug the humonculus but Ryven stopped him.

"Don't let him get to you, big brother," she said. After calming the Prince down, Ryven walked over to Dante and punched him in the arm. He didn't flinch or anything, he just looked at her and said in a dull voice, "Ow..." Zepher chuckled and nudged Dante with his elbow; Dante glared at him.

Itaki smiled and shook her head. "I'm gonna miss this..." she said aloud. As soon as she did, she didn't know what she meant. She wasn't going anywhere, was she? Everyone stopped and looked at her, sad looks on their faces. Ryven walked over and sat next to her.

"You don't have to leave, sister Shadow," she said. Shadow shook her head again.

"You know I'm not your real sister...and yes I do have to leave." Now she was surprising herself. What was she talking about? Dante narrowed his eyes.

"You can stay. This is your home. You don't have to leave us..." Everyone looked at him in shock. Dante was NEVER this nice.

"No..." Shadow said, smiling faintly. "I have to go. I don't belong here. You of all people should know that, Dante." The humonculus looked away, eyes narrowed. Zepher and Cain stood side by side, sad looks on their faces. Shadow stood up and emediatly felt weak. She stumbled back and sat down, breathing hard. Everyone looked at her and moved closer.

"Shadow? What's wrong?" asked Cain, slightly panicked.

"I...I don't know..." she wheezed. Zepher knelt in front of her and looked Shadow in the eyes.

"Shad...are you alright?"

"Y-yeah...I'm just a little dizzy." Shadow looked at him and smiled with effort. The boy narrowed his eyes and felt her forehead. "Really...Zepher...I'm okay..." said Shadow. '_What's his deal? I'm just a little dizzy_..."

* * *

"Hey." 

Dante looked over towards the door and saw Ryven standing there. "Hey..." he replied, nodding. Ryven walked over to him and looked at Shadow, her face full of hurt and worry.

"Will she b-be okay?" she asked, looking back at Dante. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back again.

"I don't know..." he said quietly.

"Don't know?" she repeated, stupidly. There was a silence for a while before Ryven walked closer to Shadow's bedside and took her hand in her own. "Has she gotten any better?" she asked.

"No..."

"Any worse?"

"No..." he said, slightly annoyed.

"What about physicaly? Has she healed any?"

"No..." More annoyed.

"Mentally?"

Dante snapped. He shot up and pulled her close by the shoulders. His face became contorted with rage and Ryven starred into his eyes, horrified.

"WHAT PART OF "NO" DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!" he shouted. "IF I SAID SHE HASN'T GOTTEN ANY BETTER OR ANY WORSE WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT MEANS?!" Tears started to well up in the corners of Ryven's eyes. She opened her mouth to answer but Dante started shouting again.

"DON'T ASK SUCH STUPID QUESTIONS WHEN YOU'VE ALREADY GOTTEN THEM ANSWERED YOU FUCKING MORON! IF YOU WERE SO CONCERNED ABOUT HER STATE OF BEING, YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE DONE THIS TO HER IN THE FIRST PLACE! THIS IS ALL YOUR FUALT!"

The next thing he knew, Cain had flung his hand across his face and he stumbled back, releasing Ryven.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, Dante?!" Cain shouted. "How dare you yell at Ryven that way?!"

Dante held the side of his face and glared up at Cain. "I should do a hell of a lot more. To the both of you," he snarled. "Causing Shadow so much suffering..." He spat in disgust, storming passed him. When he came closer to Ryven, he stopped, glared at her, then walked on, not needing to say any more than he already had. When the humonculus had left, Cain moved closer to Ryven, still fuming from Dante yelling at his sister.

"You okay?" he asked. Ryven shook her head, looking away, tears still falling from her eyes.

"He...he didn't have to yell at me," she whispered, putting a hand over her shoulder.

"I know..." Cain said, moving over to Shadow. "If he _**ever **_does something like this again, I swear I'll fucking kill him."

"NO!"

Cain looked over his shoulder at Ryven. She was staring at him, horrified.

"Why the fuck not?" Cain asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He...he's just upset," she mumbled. "Don't kill him..." After a few minutes of silence, Cain nodded.

"Okay...but if he does anything to hurt you--"

"He won't..."

Cain sighed and walked over to his sister, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I mean it though. If he does...I'll make sure he never does it again." Ryven narrowed her eyes thoughtfully then looked over at Shadow.

"Do you think she'll wake up soon?" she asked. Cain shook his head.

"I'm not sure."

Shadow clenched her fists and moaned softly. Ryven hurried over to her and put a hand on top of her sister's.

"Sister Shadow...please hang on," she pleaded. She closed her eyes and sobbed softly. "Please don't leave us...just hang on a little longer."

Cain narrowed his eyes and looked over at the doorway. Dante stood there, arms crossed, watching Ryven as she cried over her sister. The Prince walked over and Dante looked up at him, irritation in his eyes.

"You hurt her, you know," Cain said.

"I don't care. She deserved it."

"She didn't deserve anything, Dante. You're just being pissy with her 'cause you like Shadow and you think it's her fault she's practically a vegetable."

Dante narrowed his eyes. "It IS her fault. Just as much as it is your's."

"So you don't denigh it?" Cain asked, smirking.

"I have nothing to denigh. My feelings for Shadow are strictly as a sister."

Cain crossed his arms, his smirk growing. "That's good to hear...because if Zepher knew that you liked his girl--"

"Shadow doesn't belong to him or anyone!" Dante hissed, now inches from Cain's face. Cain narrowed his eyes at his friend.

"Dante...you have to keep your feelings in check. If Ryven finds out that you like her sister, well...you know how she'll get."

Dante smiled bitterly and drew back, looking over at Ryven and Shadow again. "Yeah...she'll turn into a dark, depressed little brat and think her word is coming to an end. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"She'll probably kill herself!"

"She'll go around telling everyone she'll kill herself and then never do it. She's too scared of death to do something like that and you know it."

Cain sighed and looked over at his little sisters. "Dante...if you break Ryven's heart, I'll never forgive you."

Dante sighed and shook his head. "I don't need your forgiveness, Cain."


	15. The Awakening

Life 15: The Awakening

Zepher sighed and looked at Shadow. "Are you absolutely sure that you're okay? You don't feel sick or anything like that?"

Shadow shook her head. "No," she said, now slightly annoyed. "I told you I'm fine." She tried standing up again, this time finding her footing, Zepher standing to make sure she didn't fall. Shadow looked at him in an annoyed sort of way and he took a step back. The girl sighed and put her hand up to her face, suddenly having an extreme headache. She started to fall. Cain and Ryven took a few steps forward to help but Zepher was already there, catching her by the shoulders. Dante walked over and put a hand on Shadow's other shoulder. She and Zepher looked at him, slightly shocked that he was there.

"Sit," he said gently, putting a small amount of pressure on her shoulder, making her sit back down on the edge of the fountain. Shadow looked at him as if he were a totally different person, ready to ask what was wrong with him. He was acting so strange. Like he was a different person, even. But not so much that it was noticeable. Still...he had changed.

"Dante...?" she said quietly, watching as he sat next to her. "What--?"

"Shush," he commanded, taking her hand in his own.

"But what are you--?"

"Shadow."

She flinched and looked him in the eye. He was looking straight at her, his dark eyes sincere and determined. Zepher took a few steps back and glared at the homunculus.

"Shad, you have to listen very carefully to what I have to tell you. Okay?"

Shadow simply nodded, wondering what he was going to say.

"You have to wake up. You have to go back to them." He smiled sadly at her and Shadow's eyes grew slightly wider.

"What...what are you talking about?" she asked, taking back her hand. Dante stopped her from moving further, taking her hand again and tightening his grip.

"You have to listen to me, Shadow!" she said, slight anger in his voice. "You have to wake up! If you don't wake up soon, you might never be able to!"

Shadow starred at him, terrified. "But I don't know what you're talking about! I am awake!" She looked over at the others. They were staring angrily at Dante. "Guys? What is he saying? I am awake!" The others didn't say anything. They just had sad and annoyed expressions on their faces. Shadow looked at them in confusion. "Guys...? I...I am awake...aren't I?"

They looked at each other, then back at Dante.

"Why are you telling her this?" asked Zepher. "Why are you telling her to wake up?"

"Zepher, we have to get her to wake up. She can't stay here and you know it! If she doesn't wake up soon, she'll die! Do you want that!?"

Ryven stepped up beside Zepher. "But...if she wakes up...she can't stay here with us."

"Ryven! This is no time to be selfish!" hissed Dante, gripping Shadow's hand tighter. She winced but didn't move, too into what was going on. Dante looked around at his friends.

"Do you want her to die!? Do you!?"

Cain walked up to him and glared down at him. Then without warning, he slapped him hard. Shadow gasped and shut her eyes.

* * *

Cain sighed and walked over to Ryven, leaving Dante standing in the doorway. Ryven looked up at her brother as he drew closer, her eyes red from crying. The Prince smiled sadly at her and placed his hand on her head. 

"It'll be okay, Ryven. You'll see," he said softly. "She'll come back to us soon."

"But...Cain..." Ryven sobbed. "She...she's...she's not waking up. She's in pain...and sh-she's not waking up...!"

"I know..."

Ryven sniffled and wrapped her arms around her brother's waist, crying loudly. Cain was abit taken aback but sighed and knelt down to hug her.

"I promise it'll be okay, Rei."

"But h-how can you s-say that...wh-when you know it's o-our fault..!?"

Cain closed his eyes in dispare. "Rei...I know it is. But...you have look on the bright side. She could already be dead...but she's not. She's still with us."

"But she's not, brother! She's not!"

* * *

"Shut up, boy," hissed Cain, lowering his hand. "You will NOT tell us what to do. Nor will you accuse us of wanting Shadow to die. You got that!?" 

Dante touched his cheek and then looked up at Cain with a bitter smirk. "You just proved to me that you do. You want her to stay here. You want her to die."

Cain smacked him again. Shadow whimpered and covered her ears, not wanting to hear anymore. Zepher put a hand on Cain's shoulder and sighed.

"Dante... you have to understand," he said, walking up to him now. "We want her to live. But we also want her to stay here. With us. Don't you see that?"

"You can't have both, Zepher," said Dante, glaring at him.

"But I can," the Wraith replied, smiling. "If she stays here, she'll die in her world. That is for certain. But she will continue to stay alive here. She can stay here with us forever! Don't you want that?"

Dante clenched his fists. "No. I DON'T want that! I want Shadow to live! I don't care if that means she'll never see us again! At least she'll be alive!"

"But...Dante..." Ryven said. "I want my sister to stay here. You remember what it was like after she left the first time? We missed her so much. Do you want to grow up without her again? I know we don't. It was too painful."

Dante stood up in rage. Shadow looked up at him, terribly afraid that he was going to do something everyone would regret.

"Painful? Painful! Painful for who? You? After she left, you acted as if she didn't exist! You never mentioned her until she came back! Never, not once! SHE was the one who was in pain! Don't you see that? When she came back to us, she really missed us! She was happy to see us again! I can't believe that you would even DARE say that you were in pain!"

Ryven stared at him, horrified. It was clear that he had never yelled at her before. He turned his attention to Cain.

"You can't say anything either! When she left, you were never around! You were always too busy with things Lucifer was giving you. Not ONCE did you ever speak about Shadow when you were around the rest of us. She is your SISTER! Don't you care if she lives or dies?"

"Of course I do!" shouted the Prince.

"Then why don't you want her to leave this place!?"

"Here, she's safe! Here, we can look after her!"

"Well, I guess that's your way of making up for what you and Ryven did to her in the real world! Is that it? You want her to die so her memory of you can take care of her!?"

"STOP IT!!"

Everyone turned and stared at Shadow, who was standing now, tears running down her face. Zepher reached out to touch her but she just pushed him away.

"Shadow...what are you--?"

"Just stop it! Stop talking about me! Stop saying that I'm going to die!" she sobbed, clenching her fists. "Please...just stop it!"

Dante looked at her sadly and walked up to her, reaching out to touch her shoulder. She flinched and backed away.

"Shadow..." She didn't reply. "Shadow, listen to me."

"No! Leave me alone!"

Dante narrowed his eyes and took a few steps forward, causing her to back away even more. "Shad...please...listen to me. You have to--"

"NO! I don't have to do anything!" she sobbed. "I just want you to stop! Leave me alone! I just...I just want to know what you're talking about! Why are you saying that--!?"

Dante wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Shadow tried to make him let go but his embrace was to strong. After a few moments, she gave up and just stood there, crying into his shoulder.

"Shadow...you have to be strong. You have to wake up, okay?"

"D-Dante...I don't know what you're t-talking about...!"

"I know. You must be so confused. But you have to trust me...you have to wake up."

Shadow looked up at him, her cheeks stained with tears. "But I don't--"

Before Shadow could say anymore, Dante silenced her with a kiss. Shadow's eyes grew wide as she felt the world around her start to spin. When the humonculus drew back, Shadow noticed that the world had gone dark. Cain, Zepher and Ryven were gone, no where to be seen. Dante smiled sadly at her and took a step back.

"You have to go now, Shadow. Before it's too late."

Shadow gasped as her friend slowly began to disappear and she reached out to take his hand. Dante shook his head and stepped back again.

"Dante!"

"Don't worry. You'll see me again soon. And the others, too. I promise."

"But why--"

"Shadow."

She sniffled and looked his in the eye. He smiled warmly at her. He never...ever...smiled.

"Don't worry. I promise that everything will be okay."

And then he was gone.

* * *

Shadow gasped and slowly opened her eyes, blinking to adjust to the dark, but she couldn't see. She sat straight up in the hospital bed and put her hand to her lips, tears stinging her eyes. She immdiatly regretted doing it and fell back onto the bed, sobbing silently. Her back felt as if it were on fire, she couldn't breathe. Then she heard a door open and what sounded like footsteps. Then they stopped. 

"Oh my god. Shadow...?" asked a familiar voice. The footsteps increased and soon she felt a hand on her forehead, then on her cheek. "Shadow!"

"Wha...where am I...?" she asked, her voice a meer whisper. "Why...can't I see...?"

"Hang on," said the voice. "Just hang on okay?"

Shadow nodded feably and gasped in pain, her back ablaze.

"Raziel! Come here, quickly!" Shadow felt the person next to her take her hand and brush a strand of hair from her face. "Shad, Raziel will be here soon. Hang on a little longer okay?"

"What's going on!?" Raziel.

"Shadow! She's awake!"

There were more footsteps and then the one holding her hand was no longer there. Shadow gasped again, this time in fear. Then her hand was back in the other's.

"Shadow, can you hear me?" Raziel asked. She nodded. "Okay, I need you to drink this. It'll stop the pain of your back injuries."

Shadow felt something press against her mouth and opened, quickly swallowing some liquid with no taste. Almost instantly, the burning was gone and she sighed with relief.

"Where's everyone else?"

"I think Bane and Johnny are in the next room, sleeping like babies. I'm not exactly sure where Zepher is and Ryven and Cain left a while ago to get something to eat."

"Ah. Alright."

"Want me to bring ya something? You haven't eaten in days."

"No...I'm fine."

There were more footsteps then all was quiet except for the beeping of the hospital equipment. Shadow blinked a few times and found that she still couldn't see. She gripped the other's hand tightly and started to cry.

"Shadow...? Are you okay?" She shook her head.

"N-no...I...I can't see...I don't know where I am."

There was a brief pause and then, "We're in Raziel's basement. You've been here for almost a month and a half now."

"A...month and a half...?"

"Yes. Do you remember what happened?"

She shook her head and felt tears fall down her cheeks. The other brushed them away and sighed.

"It's okay, Shadow. Don't cry. I promise, everything is going to be okay."

Shadow sniffled and opened her eyes again. This time, everything was slightly clearer. She looked to her left and saw the blurred shape of a young man standing over her with short black hair. He brushed another strand of hair from her face and then all was clear. Shadow smiled through her tears and sighed.

"Dante..."

The humonculus smiled sadly at her and bent down to kiss her forehead.

"Yeah...it's me."

Shadwo slowly sat up and looked him in the eyes. Then, without warning, threw her arms around him and gave him a hug. Dante smiled and hugged her back, happy that his friend was alive.

* * *

**Awwwww!!! See, now that's a happy ending to a series of really bad crap. Please review! I'll have the next chapter up soon!**


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